Man arrested after alleged Frostburg abductions
Sep. 10—FROSTBURG — An Ohio man was arrested Saturday afternoon after he allegedly kidnapped two people, including an 8-year-old girl, in separate Frostburg incidents.
The Allegany County Combined Criminal Investigation Unit said Joseph Alan Gordon, 33, was charged with two counts of kidnapping, one count of attempted first-degree rape and one count of first-degree rape. He was being held Sunday without bond at the Allegany County Detention Center, according to court records.
The records indicate Gordon is from Columbus, Ohio, but police said he also had identification from other states, including Arizona.
Investigators said it was about 1:30 p.m. when Frostburg City Police received several calls about a woman on East Main Street yelling for help.
"When officers responded they found a 53-year-old female who reported that she had been grabbed by an unknown male suspect who forced her to another location, in an attempt to, she believed, sexually assault her," police said in a news release.
The 8-year-old was reported missing about 2:45 p.m. from Meshach Frost Village, a 100-unit housing community in the city.
Authorities said video surveillance from that location showed a man who matched the description of the suspect in the first incident grabbing the girl by the hand and leading her away.
Investigators said numerous tips were received from citizens when photos reportedly showing Gordon and the girl were posted to social media.
Gordon was arrested a short time later, when he and the girl were seen by a Frostburg State University Police officer leaving a vacant property that included a barn and other outbuildings on the west end of Frost Avenue.
The girl was taken to UPMC Western Maryland for treatment.
A search of the buildings led to recovery of "several items of evidence," authorities said.
The Allegany County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police, including helicopter Trooper 5, assisted in the search.
Police ask that anyone who may have seen Gordon and the girl contact law enforcement. Additionally, investigators are asking citizens who have video surveillance to review it as they attempt to track the pair's movements from Meshach Village. Those with information were asked to call 301-777-0326.
